August 31, 2017

Penne with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Mushrooms

Your
favorite pasta tossed with a gorgeous variety of plump mushrooms, showered with
bright lemon zest and juice, sprinkled with fresh thyme and parsley, and
smothered with delicious cheese.Sounds like
a scrumptious dinner, doesn’t it?And a
fantastic recipe to tell you about after a longer than expected hiatus from my
dear blog.

I want
to apologize to you all for my extended leave of absence.I haven’t fallen off the face of the
earth.I’ve been around, still trying
and relishing new and tasty recipes.But
occasionally you just need a bit of a sabbatical from the things you enjoy
especially when it gets harder and harder to find the time and passion to put
words together, let alone stories, and burnout knocks on the door.And sometimes, jobs, priorities, things
outside of your control and life in general get in the way.I just felt it was time to unplug for a
little, long while.

So,
when life gets busy and you feel there aren’t enough hours in a day for
everything you have to do, you don’t want cooking to grab a big chunk out of
that limited time.You want a few
ingredients to mix together and toss them in the oven or throw them on the
stove and forget about them until it’s time to smell the fabulous concoction.This recipe is utterly fast and easy to
prepare and extremely versatile.Light
yet substantial, it delivers excellent results in no time. Enjoy!

Freshly
grated Parmesan, to taste (or any other cheese you have on hand or you like; I
used Havarti cheese)

1 bunch
fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, leaves chopped, to give 1/2 cup (or more if
you like; I love fresh parsley so I never measure it)

Bring a
large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.Add the pasta and cook according to packet
instructions.

While
pasta is cooking: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2
minutes.Add the mushrooms and season
with salt and pepper.Stir well and then
add the lemon zest, juice and thyme leaves, and cook the mushrooms for 5 to 7
minutes until tender.

Drain
the pasta reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water.Add the pasta to the mushroom mixture and
toss well.Add the grated cheese and
toss again to coat the pasta.Finish
with the parsley and mix well.Add the pasta
water, about ¼ cup at a time, to loosen the pasta if needed.